Tri-City stars fall short in Division 2 opener

Cecil ConleyGarrett Kauppila follows the flight of the ball after leading off the game with a home run for the Tri-City 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars.

Ron Domingo did not have to search for a reason why his Tri-City 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars fell short Saturday. The manager found one right off the bat after a 3-2 loss to Hollister in Vacaville.
His team gave away two runs in its Northern California Division 2 opener at Centennial Park. Hollister won it in the sixth when Josh Ramos doubled and scored on Daniel Hopkins’ infield single.
The loss sends Tri-City, the District 4 and Section 11 champion, into a 5:30 p.m. losers’ bracket game Monday. Domingo will send C.J. Whalen to the mound for Tri-City.
Tri-City’s 2-0 lead was erased in the third inning without Hollister getting a hit against starting pitcher A.J. Sauer and Kyle Benoir, who was called to the mound with Sauer’s pitch count at 49.
Hollister parlayed two walks, two stolen bases, a wild pitch and an error into a two-run rally.
“At this level, the fundamentally-sound team is usually going to win,” Domingo said.
Tri-City wasted no time in taking a 1-0 lead when Garrett Kauppila led off the game with a home run.
Aidan Malm made it 2-0 in the second when he led off with a double, went to third on Ricky Bromley’s single and scored when Jack McBride grounded out.
The second was the only inning in which Tri-City had more than one hit. Kauppila doubled to lead off the third, but he was stranded. Kyle Schnapp drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, but the next three batters struck out.
“The hits kind of died out,” Domingo lamented.